One of the first team sports ever introduced to the Olympic games back in 1900 was water polo, and it's going strong in the 2024 Paris Olympics when the competition begins on Saturday, July 27.
US: Peacock | NBC
UK: iPlayer | BBC (free with license fee) | Discovery Plus
AU: 9Now (free)
Watch abroad with a VPN
Sports fans in Australia or the UK will be able to watch the Olympic water polo events for free on 9Now or iPlayer, which is certainly a real treat. But never fear if you're away from home during the tournament, because you can watch the Olympic games from anywhere with a VPN.
Water polo puts together two teams of seven players trying to score goals with a ball, and it's been a feature of all but one of the modern Olympics. Despite this classic status it only consists of two events and two sets of medals: one for men and one for women.
In the Paris Olympics, 286 players from around the world will compete for gold in two aquatics centres around the French capital. If you're a fan of the sport, or are just curious about what it's like, this guide will help you figure out how to watch the Olympic water polo matches.
It'll also provide information you need about the events themselves below that.
How to watch Olympic water polo in the US
Your best bet for watching the Olympic water polo in the US is by signing up for NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. That's because this is the official streaming home of all Olympic tournaments, not just football.
Peacock costs just $5.99 per month for its standard tier, or $11.99 for its ad-free one which will mainly benefit you when you're watching TV and movies in the Peacock library.
Some Olympic coverage is expected to air on NBC channels including E!, USA and NBC Sports, but Peacock lets you watch specific sports on demand so it's your best bet for watching the Olympic water polo.
How to watch Olympic water polo in the UK
In the UK, the BBC has broadcast rights to the Olympic games including the Olympic water polo. The BBC has historically only covered a smattering of Olympic sports in highlight reels, instead of offering specific live streams for certain games, and that means you won't be able to watch water polo on demand.
The BBC will be offering two streams: a primary one jumping between its BBC One and BBC Two TV channels that will show some coverage, and a second on iPlayer called Olympics Extra that will include other sports not shown on the main channels.
So we can't guarantee that the BBC will air the Olympic water polo, but it's possible that some matches will be shown on BBC channels and iPlayer, especially with the finals taking place later in the Olympic calendar when fewer other sports will be occurring.
Thankfully, there is another option that'll let you see the sports. Discovery Plus is set to show a lot more of the Olympic games, and while it usually costs £6.99 per month for its Standard plan, a temporary deal lets you sign up for £3.99 monthly until the end of the year.
How to watch the Olympic water polo in Australia
You don't need to pay a penny in order to watch the Olympic water polo matches in Australia, and that's because they're totally free to watch using the online streaming service 9Now.
You'll also be able to use 9Now to watch all the other Olympic sports, with Channel 9 showing many of them on its TV channels too.
How to watch the Olympic water polo everywhere else
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch X, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite X or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
Olympic water polo schedule
Here's what's happening on each day of the Olympic water polo competition, broken down by gender.
Saturday, July 27
- Women's: preliminary rounds
Sunday, July 28
- Men's: preliminary rounds
Monday, July 29
- Women's: preliminary rounds
Tuesday, July 30
- Men's: preliminary rounds
Wednesday, July 31
- Women's: preliminary rounds
Thursday, August 1
- Men's: preliminary rounds
Friday, August 2
- Women's: preliminary rounds
Saturday, August 3
- Men's: preliminary rounds
Sunday, August 4
- Women's: preliminary rounds
Monday, August 5
- Men's: preliminary rounds
Tuesday, August 6
- Women's: quarter-finals
Wednesday, August 7
- Men's: quarter-finals
Thursday, August 8
- Women's: classification & semi-finals
Friday, August 9
- Men's: classification & semi-finals
Saturday, August 10
- Men's: classification
- Women's: classification, bronze medal match & final
Sunday, August 11
- Men's: bronze medal match & final
All you need to know about the Olympic water polo
When does the Olympic water polo begin?
The first Olympic water polo matches begin right at the beginning of the Olympic games on Saturday, July 27. They run right up until the end of the games on Sunday, August 11.
Which teams are playing in the Olympic water polo matches?
Twelve men's teams and ten women's teams will compete in the two Olympic water polo events. There are many cross-overs between genders but some differences. Here's the full list:
Men's
- Australia
- Croatia
- France
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Japan
- Montenegro
- Romania
- Serbia
- Spain
- United States
Women's
- Australia
- Canada
- China
- France
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
- United States
Which events make up the Olympic water polo competition?
Only two events, and therefore two sets of medals, are being contested by all the Olympic water polo teams.
These are the men's water polo, and the women's water polo events.
Where does the Olympic water polo tournament take place
Not one but two different venues will host the Olympic water polo games.
Most of the matches will take place at the Paris Aquatic Centre, a new building created for the Olympics which is also hosting the artistic swimming and diving events.
The final few matches, however, will play at the Paris La Defense Arena, a giant sports convention venue which predates the games. Despite not traditionally being a swimming venue, during the Olympics it's hosting the water polo and swimming events.
How to watch other Olympic sports
If you want specific information on other Olympic sports, here are guides we have to the other activities which will be shown as part of the Paris Olympic games:
